Market News

Vancouver versus the Big Box

The debate over big boxes continues in Vancouver with city council reconsidering whether it will allow big boxes such as Wal-Mart and Canadian Tire to set up shop within city limits. Last summer, city council rejected proposals from the two retailers to build stores on industrial land near the city\'s Marine Drive—an area where at one time it was permissible to build bigger outlets. Now, the city is revisiting its policy to determine which of three courses to take: to accept new applications from these retailers under its highway-oriented retail policy or ban big boxes altogether or impose conditions that would limit big boxes to "occasional purchase" stores such as furniture and carpet outlets—not, however, general merchandise retailers such as Wal-Mart. Source: Canadian Grocer E-Newsletter, July 11, 2006.